Exploring the Free Arts Movement with Tucker Art Alliance

By Victoria R. Crosby

Tucker Arts Alliance held a meeting at the Tucker Recreation Center in August. Most people attending were painters and artists in various mediums. I was the only writer and poet.

Claire Hayes, one of the founding mothers of the Tucker Art Alliance, introduced the evening’s speaker, Julie Fordham, who had everyone create a whimsical art project with the supplies she had brought.

Julie explained that the Free Arts Movement is where anyone can create art. It could be a poem, a piece of music, a drawing, or a collage. The group was provided with magazines to cut out words or pictures, pencils to draw or write with, glue sticks, and paper. The attending artists were encouraged to post photos of their artwork on social media pages, then leave them in plastic baggies in the park or any public place for people to find, much like a scavenger hunt.

Several local artists were mentioned by Julie, including Catlanta (aka Rory Hawkins), who is a street artist known for his spray paintings of cats in Atlanta, and who is also an accomplished mural artist with large outdoor works in Atlanta, Chattanooga, and Costa Rica.

The other artist Julie mentioned is known as Blockhead (aka Chris Skeene), who was inspired by his own collection of Pez dispensers to create small figures with magnets in the back of their square heads, which were then hidden in order for people to find them. Once again, the scavenger hunt concept.

The Free Arts Movement was started in Southern California by artist Nick Bahula to use and recycle art supplies, and to bring art to everyone, regardless of their income, by making the arts more accessible to the public. The website theartlands.org states, “Free art events, opportunities and supplies for Southern California. Uniting free art of any kind for others to find.”

The movement has grown beyond the state of California, and has donated art materials to low income communities and to schools in need of supplies, and at music festival including Choachella, FYF Fest, and Desert Daze.

All styles of artists, musicians, and writers are welcome to join the Tucker Arts Alliance. There was a discussion at the meeting about starting a salon where musicians could perform, artists could talk about their art, and writers and poets could read from their work. Meetings at The Corner Cup a Coffee bar on Main Street in Tucker was also discussed, in addition to the monthly meetings.

The Tucker Arts Alliance came into being several years ago when a group of artists in various arts organizations saw how different counties and cities were supporting the arts, and the conversations between these artists led to action.

Remaining meetings this year will be held at 7 p.m. on October 3rd, November 7th, and December 5th at the Tucker Recreation Center, with different artists featured each month.

More information at tuckerarts30084@gmail.com

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